Chechnya Chief's Call For Arrest Of Reporter, Activist Should Be Settled Legally - Kremlin

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2022) Appropriate measures should be taken, including through the court, if Chechnya head Ramzan Kadyrov made actual threats against a member of the Russian human rights council and a journalist, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Kadyrov, commenting on the situation with the persecution of the family of retired judge Saydi Yangulbaev, accused human rights activist Igor Kalyapin, who heads the Russian Committee for the Prevention of Torture where Yangulbaev's brother works, and journalist of Novaya Gazeta Elena Milashina of being "accomplices of terrorists" and called for their arrest. He also said that those who resist arrest should be eradicated.�

Kalyapin noted that Kadyrov's terrorism accusations were his "favorite insult" that he used whenever anyone disagreed with him. However, according to the activist, the situation with Yangulbaev and Kadyrov's "emotional" outburst were linked to the Telegram channel hosted by one of the former judge's younger sons, who posts "really offensive and vile" things there, and not the work of Yangulbaev's brother in the committee. Milashina is yet to comment on the matter.

"Regarding the eradication (calls), it is necessary to analyze these statements, if there is a direct threat against journalists and against the member of the Presidential Council. Yes, indeed, he uses the phrase 'accomplices of terrorists' in relation to these people, he is within his right, but it is also the right of these people to defend their honor and dignity. Here, after all, we must proceed from the rule of law," Peskov said.

At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman stressed that Kadyrov's statements were his personal opinion and did not reflect the government's position.

The decision to include anyone in the terrorist list is made only in court, he said.

If the people involved had already launched a complaint with the relevant authorities responsible for the protection of the rights of citizens, but were ignored, then they can appeal to the prosecution, but the Kremlin has no information about legal details of the case, according to Peskov. He also noted that the Kremlin "would prefer not to comment or interfere in any way" in the situation and in "settling of these issues," adding that everything must be done according to the law.

Another member of the Russian human rights council, Alexander Brod, said that the failure of the Federal authorities and law enforcement agencies to respond to Grozny's aggressive rhetoric on the Yangulbaev situation could lead to new abuses of power and human rights violations in Chechnya.

"After the incident in Nizhny Novgorod, when (Chechen) security forces broke into an apartment and grabbed an elderly diabetic woman (Yangulbaev's wife), not giving her the opportunity to get dressed, take her medicine, passport... After all this, one cannot but worry about the life and safety of Kalyapin and Milashina. The HRC must respond to what happened in Nizhny Novgorod, to the unfounded accusations and threats," Brod said.

Saydi Yangulbaev's wife was arrested last week in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod and transported for questioning to Chechnya, where she was accused of assaulting a police officer. The former judge and his daughter reportedly left Russia fearing for their safety following Kadyrov's statements.